U.S. Men 2023-24 news & updates

[Stephanie]

Taira Shinohara killed it in the Bavarian Open SP: 43.58 TES and 77.27 total score. He now has the minimums for junior worlds.

 

[mtnskater]

If Broussard is healthy I’d like him to be sent back to Junior Worlds. What a tough year he’s had so far though. But he is still one of the US best up and coming talents.

 

[Karen-W]

If Broussard is healthy I’d like him to be sent back to Junior Worlds. What a tough year he’s had so far though. But he is still one of the US best up and coming talents.

Sadly, I don't think he has much of a chance for consideration. Martynov certainly has one of the spots locked up between making the JGPF and his solid performance at Nats.

I think the 2nd spot probably comes down to either Sanchez or Shinohara. Sanchez has shown a tendency of crumbling a bit under the pressure of the FS when he is in a medal position after the SP. Shinohara hasn't had a lot of international experience yet but he did okay at Jr Nats so we'll have to see how he does in the FS at Bavarian Open later today.

 

[Jonas]

Sadly, I don't think he has much of a chance for consideration. Martynov certainly has one of the spots locked up between making the JGPF and his solid performance at Nats.

I think the 2nd spot probably comes down to either Sanchez or Shinohara. Sanchez has shown a tendency of crumbling a bit under the pressure of the FS when he is in a medal position after the SP. Shinohara hasn't had a lot of international experience yet but he did okay at Jr Nats so we'll have to see how he does in the FS at Bavarian Open later today.

I'd say Beck Strommer for that 2nd Jr. Worlds spot, no?? He was pretty rock solid this fall on the Jr. Grand Prix and just missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final. Nationals was actually his weakest pair of performances.

I'm thinking that the USFSA is looking at Shinohara because he has two 3Axels in his free, whereas Strommer doesn't have one at all.

Your thoughts...

 

[Sarah]

I'd say Beck Strommer for that 2nd Jr. Worlds spot, no?? He was pretty rock solid this fall on the Jr. Grand Prix and just missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final. Nationals was actually his weakest pair of performances.

I'm thinking that the USFSA is looking at Shinohara because he has two 3Axels in his free, whereas Strommer doesn't have one at all.

Your thoughts...

Beck's Midwestern Sectional's was also pretty weak. He scored a 193.49 with a 127.39 in the long (and a 3-2 in the short). So, he's had 2 weaker competitions in a row. Honestly, he looks like he's lacking confidence and with lower tech, he needs to be clean.

Personally, I really like Beck's skating. But, I'm not sure I'd put him on the junior world's team.

 

[clairecloutier]

More from Jimmy Ma at Nationals:

Jimmy Ma: “This is a better representation of who I am as a skater”

Jimmy Ma, 28, ended last season brilliantly with a career-high 5th place at the 2023 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and a small medal at 2023 ISU Four Continents Championships, where he placed t…

adivinesport.com

 

[zigzig]

I'd give the spots to Martynov and Shinohara.

 

[zebobes]

Jacob is great in the short, but the free has been a consistent problem. While he did a little better in the free just now in the team event, it still wasn't great.

 

[Allskate]

Congratulations to Jason Brown for winning the Button Salchow award. I remember Paul Wylie saying in an interview last year that they were planning on making this a formal award. Paul's story about the origin of that award and how he received it was wonderful. I think Jason is a very deserving recipient, and it was wonderful to see his surprised response to receiving it.

I haven't found a very good version of the announcement of the award's establishment and the presentation to Jason. If anyone has one, please post it.

 

[Flip Jump]

Congratulations to Jason Brown for winning the Button Salchow award. I remember Paul Wylie saying in an interview last year that they were planning on making this a formal award. Paul's story about the origin of that award and how he received it was wonderful. I think Jason is a very deserving recipient, and it was wonderful to see his surprised response to receiving it.

I haven't found a very good version of the announcement of the award's establishment and the presentation to Jason. If anyone has one, please post it.

Linking the best version I have seen (still not great but sound is stable) from Rohene’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2qou7JLT0N/?igsh=MTRtaDdibGl5dGRyMw==
So lucky to be there in person to experience it!

 

[YukiNieve]

I haven't found a very good version of the announcement of the award's establishment and the presentation to Jason. If anyone has one, please post it.

There was a long (really long!) speech before Jason was introduced, so I'm posting here only these parts:

1) Jason was introduced to receive the Button-Salchow Trophy:

https://twitter.com/YukiNieve/status/1754434871693349258

2) Jason's acceptance speech:

https://twitter.com/YukiNieve/status/1754435993648718223

 

[Karen-W]

I came across this video on YT today - Taira Shinohara spent a week in Reston during winter break training with Ilia's parents -

D.C. trip to train with Ilia Malinin

During winter break, I went to D.C. to train with Grand Prix Final gold medalist, U.S. National Champion, and the legendary quad god whoâs the only one that ...

www.youtube.com

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Lindsay Wang and Luke Wang interviewed Beck Strommer on their podcast after Nationals

Episode 5: Navigating the Grueling Marathon of the Figure Skating Season w/ Beck Strommer

Listen to this episode from Office Hours on Spotify. In this episode, we bring on Team USA figure skater, 2x Junior Grand Prix medalist, and newly crowned U.S. Junior Men’s Pewter medalist, Beck Strommer, to discuss the "1st alternate curse", his past season, training outlooks, and artistic...

open.spotify.com

 

[YukiNieve]

Tomoki Hiwatashi will perform for Bloom on Ice, the annual ice show held by Kinoshita Academy in Kyoto, Japan (4/20-4/21/2024).

木下スケートアカデミー on Instagram: "・ 🌸Bloom On Ice 2024🌸 4回目の開催となる本アイスショー⛸❄️ 四大陸選手権金メダリストの #千葉百音 、グランプリファイナル銅メダリストの #吉田陽菜 、そしてジュニアグランプリファイナル、全日本ジュニア、ユースオリンピックと数々のタイトルを獲得する #島田麻央 を筆頭に、アカデミー生は着実に成長を遂げています✨✨ 昨年に続き、現役引退後もなお進化を続ける #村元哉中 ＆ #高橋大輔 組をゲストに迎え、日本

495 likes, 0 comments - kinoshita_skate_academy on February 13, 2024: "・ 🌸Bloom On Ice 2024🌸 4回目の開催となる本アイスショー⛸❄️ 四大陸�..."

www.instagram.com

 

[YukiNieve]

Vincent Zhou is interviewed this week about the CAS decision. I could listen to Vincent talk for hours. He speaks so thoughtfully and honestly.

Episodes

This was a very insightful interview to listen to!

 

[YukiNieve]

Samuel Mindra and Liam Kapeikis will perform with other notable skaters, such as Amber, Max, Polina, Christina & Anthony, for the ice show Winterfest on Ice on 2/24 Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Winterfest On Ice The 21st Annual Figure Skating Spectacular

Our 21st Annual Figure Skating Spectacular, Winterfest, February 24, 2024, at 7:00 pm. at Bill Collier Ice Arena.

www.eventbrite.com

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks, @YukiNieve - should I start a thread for smaller ice shows like I have in the past?

I also posted a Vincent article in this pertinent thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-december-25-2021.111518/page-55#post-6558367

 

[Sylvia]

Bringing this over from the U.S. Women's news thread since Junior Worlds is next week... Sarah Everhardt shared 6 photos https://www.instagram.com/p/C3X4EuAroDq/ from last week's USFS’ high performance singles camp in Boston that included (in the first group pic) Jean-Luc Baker as one of the instructors and Junior World team member Jacob Sanchez (did not see Daniel Martynov S9 at Nationals/JGP ARM gold medalist in these photos), plus the 3 Junior World alternates (1st-3rd) Beck Strommer J4/JGP silver & bronze medalist, Taira Shinohara J2/Bavarian Open gold medalist & junior champ Lucius Kazanecki.
Also invited were Caleb Farrington (top Novice man at Easterns as well as at Nationals J11) and I think the young boy is Eric Lei (Int4 at Easterns) who is based at SCoB.

 

[Jarrett]

Ilia posted a quad toe, quad axel combination on his instagram....

Ilia Malinin on Instagram: "I am very excited for Worlds in a few weeks, Lets have some fun in Montreal. #figureskating #worldchampionships #montreal #quadgod #iliamalinin #quadaxel #nbd #neverbeendone"

46K likes, 347 comments - ilia_quadg0d_malinin on March 7, 2024: "I am very excited for Worlds in a few weeks, Lets have some fun in Montreal. #figureskating #worldchampionships #montreal #quadgod #ili...".

www.instagram.com

 

[Tesla]

Ilia posted a quad toe, quad axel combination on his instagram....

Ilia Malinin on Instagram: "I am very excited for Worlds in a few weeks, Lets have some fun in Montreal. #figureskating #worldchampionships #montreal #quadgod #iliamalinin #quadaxel #nbd #neverbeendone"

46K likes, 347 comments - ilia_quadg0d_malinin on March 7, 2024: "I am very excited for Worlds in a few weeks, Lets have some fun in Montreal. #figureskating #worldchampionships #montreal #quadgod #ili...".

www.instagram.com

Is that a combination, though? Still very impressive.

 

[Karen-W]

Is that a combination, though? Still very impressive.

It would be coded as 4T+4A+SEQ in IJS.

 

[Sylvia]

It would be coded as 4T+4A+SEQ in IJS.

9.5 base value + 12.5 bv = 22 points (if both jumps are called rotated & 0 GOE).

 

[Tesla]

It would be coded as 4T+4A+SEQ in IJS.

Thank you!

 

[Sylvia]

Arizona Republic article on Camden Pulkinen (March 9):

Gilbert's Camden Pulkinen preparing for World Figure Skating Championships

Camden Pulkinen was just 16 years old when he left Arizona to further pursue a figure skating career. Now, he's an Olympic hopeful for 2026.

www.azcentral.com

He faced a lot of scrutiny for the decision when moved to New York for college, especially coming off a successful showing at the World Championships.
Now Pulkinen is finishing his senior year at Columbia and is to get his degree in economics and psychology. It’s a tough act to juggle, balancing classes at one of the country’s most academically esteemed universities in the Ivy League system while also being one of the best figure skaters in the United States. He doesn’t get special treatment from his professors, even as he prepares to travel to Montreal to compete in the World Figure Skating Championships. But it’s been worth it.
“I knew that for me as a person, beyond just a skater, it was crucial,” he said.

“Camden is honestly one of the most talented skaters right now,” [Alex] Johnson said. “I think what has been frustrating is that he may not have always been able to consistently deliver up his abilities. The first season of us working together was trying to figure out each other, what he needs as an athlete from a coach, what his ideal state of being is prior to competing.
“I think his success earlier on in his career was a little bit less formulaic and kind of a result from raw talent. This past season, we’ve worked together to figure out what it is that he needs and what his recipe for success is. A lot of it is us getting to know each other further and building these routines and processes that help him get in the right space to deliver when it matters.”

 

[Sylvia]

"I’m carving my own path": Jason Brown on his one-of-a-kind quest – and openness to the 2026 Olympics (March 11 article by Nick McCarvel): https://olympics.com/en/news/figure...interview-quest-openness-2026-winter-olympics

“It’s definitely evolved,” Brown says of thoughts around 2026. “Last year, I was like, ‘Let’s just focus on this one extra year.’ ... But it bled into this year, where I felt like I could keep competing in this unique way.
“And then I got to do shows in Italy at the beginning of this year and when you’re in Italy and thinking about the [Olympics in Italy]. I just thought, ‘Wow, this could be really cool. I’ve started to see it... and imagine the possibility of it.”

 

[Jammers]

"I’m carving my own path": Jason Brown on his one-of-a-kind quest – and openness to the 2026 Olympics (March 11 article by Nick McCarvel): https://olympics.com/en/news/figure...interview-quest-openness-2026-winter-olympics

As much as i like Jason it says something that he is thinking about 2026. If any of the US men other then Ilia had it together Jason would probably not be thinking of hanging around for two more years.

 

[Karen-W]

As much as i like Jason it says something that he is thinking about 2026. If any of the US men other then Ilia had it together Jason would probably not be thinking of hanging around for two more years.

Well, there's a fair argument to be made that this year's Nats finish was generous judging. There are plenty of people worried that Top 10 in Montreal could be a stretch for him and that would jeopardize our 3 men's spots.

 

[jlai]

Well, there's a fair argument to be made that this year's Nats finish was generous judging. There are plenty of people worried that Top 10 in Montreal could be a stretch for him and that would jeopardize our 3 men's spots.

we simply don’t have strong too ten at worlds skater after Ilia.
I wonder how Camden’s school will affect him at worlds too

 

[Debbie S]

I wonder how Camden’s school will affect him at worlds too

His spring break is this week, so he should be able to get extra training in.

 

[kwanfan1818]

we simply don’t have strong too ten at worlds skater after Ilia.

That's so true: there are men who have greater jumping ability on the high end, or at least give quads a good shot, but whether or not they are consistent, or the calling will go their way has been like a casino. The skater behind Chen with the highest upside was Zhao, who went from 6th at the 2018 Olympics to 14th at 2018 Worlds (without Hanyu or Fernandez), and in his last Olympic quad, he went 3rd, 25th missing the FS, and 3rd in four Worlds (with one cancellation), and was ~27 points of his PB FS score in the Olympic TE. With Malinin replacing Chen as a medal contender every time he takes the ice, there haven't been any other consistent competitors behind him.

Brown is not going to be on the podium in Montreal with his tech content without a widespread case of food poisoning decimating the field, and his skates at US Nationals were weak for him. Two years to 30 is a longer time in an athlete's life than 20-22 or 25-27, but it's his to lose, as the other men are going to have to make a case for themselves in the next two years, and not just at US Nationals. They don't have time to establish decade of never placing lower than 9th at an international competition, with 32 of 37 of them resulting in 6th or higher finishes, only once (4th) off the podium in a Sr. international/Challenger Series events completed, 9 medals in 15 GP events, qualifying for the GPF twice, etc., but they can try to do better than Brown, especially since he hasn't competed in the summer or often in the Fall lately.